The West Virginia Mountaineers is not a school one would historically consider to be a blue blood in any of the revenue sports. Nor do any of the programs which represent the Mountaineers have a history of having a ton of big money donors, outside of the relatively recent investment in the baseball program by WVU alum and Diamondbacks owner Ken Kendrick.
But in the modern era of college sports, where money seems to now be a difference between success and failure, WVU is attempting to adjust and establish a war chest to be able to continue to compete at the top level of Division 1 sports. And it seems like one prominent former West Virginia football player is playing a much more integral role in the process than anyone would have guessed.
Pat McAfee's '8-figure investment' in the West Virginia Mountaineers, and the priceless benefit of branding
Pat McAfee starred for the Mountaineers in college as a kicker and a punter, and would go on to have a fruitful career for the Indianapolis Colts in the NFL. Since retiring from the league, he has since become one of the most popular sport talk show hosts on ESPN with The Pat McAfee Show – which is he currently negotiating a deal for over $60 million a year for. He has also worked as a commentator and occasional wrestler in WWE.
With all the money to be made amidst these endeavors, many fans have suspected he has played a large role in the school being able to continue to compete financially as college sports continues to evolve.
West Virginia athletic director Wren Baker recently discussed McAfee's contributions to the program, and he seems to feel that even more important than money directly donated to the athletic department, the most valuable thing about McAfee is him using his show and brand to spotlight WVU – such as during trips to Morgantown for the 2024 Penn State game and Rich Rodriguez's introductory press conference, or to Omaha for WVU's first-ever College World Series game.
"It would be way up in the seven-figure, eight-figure range," Baker said. "Anytime he goes anywhere that's instant brand recognition, instant brand value. You're going to have an excitement that's created...it's a huge asset for not just our institution, not just for our athletic department, but the state."
West Virginia University Director of Athletics Wren Baker says Pat McAfee's value to the university is "way up in seven figures, maybe eight figures."
— Front Office Sports News (@FOS_News_) June 26, 2026
Baker tells FOS McAfee's media reach delivers "instant brand recognition" every time he shows up for the Mountaineers. pic.twitter.com/bRI77XNRUl
It's something that isn't neccesarily measured in exact dollars and cents, but Baker makes an accurate point about what McAfee brings to WVU sports just by featuring the show regularly during discussions on his daily show, and taking the show on the road to places like Morgantown and Omaha to celebrate the Mountaineers.
That type of marketing is priceless, and it's hard to overstate just how much that could mean going forward. And that doesn't even touch upon his direct monetary contributions, which was at least in the seven-figure range before his former head coach Rodriguez ever returned to the program. So you have to give it to Pat McAfee – love him or hate him (and there's plenty of people in the sports world that feel both ways), he does the most for his alma mater.
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